Issue #2
The Grumpy
Nei hbour : s e d u l Inc
N W O R YOU EE! W O R GR T O D A TEN H AVOC G I BR
to w od! o o h h r n u o Tips r neighbo u up yo he T t u o s ab our ! k l a t b Sally Neigh
py
Grum
Hello!
Read with Sally!
Sally introduces The Grumpy Neighbour – and chats about gardening and neighbours!
PUSH PLAY!
And welcome to week two of our SU PERDOOPER holiday program! I hope you are having fun. I certainly am! I love being able to share all my favourite things with you each week. This week we are going to have a look at one of my brandnew Billie B Brown stories: The Grum py Neighbour. Yes, it’s about neighbours – grumpy on es AND friendly ones – but it’s about gardening and pla ying soccer, too. Some of you might be lucky enough to have a backyard you can play in. But did you know that ev en if you don’t have a garden, you can still grow things? Am azing, huh? You can find out how in this week’s program! And there are so many more fun thing s you can do to keep yourself as busy as Billie. See you next week! Lots of love,
Sally
xxx
PUSH PLAY! Have you started The Grumpy Neighbour yet? Why don’t you read along with Sally, and see if you can finish the rest by yourself!
! g a B Mail
Meet
ESME! Esme is a
BIG
Billie B Brown fan – here Charlotte reviewed
The Grumpy Neighbour
are five SUPER-DOOPER things about Esme!
for us! It’s now her FAVOURITE Billie B Brown book, she said it was excellent!
PUSH PLAY!
1 2 3
GOOD Esme is REALLY bars! at the monkey
Esme is really kind to her brother!
Esme’s favourite ! animal is a dog
Esme!
4
run faster n a c e m s E a lot of than quite er class! h in e l p o e p
5
Her favourite colour is greeny blue.
Each week, we will feature some SUPER FANS! If you would like to review a book for us,
Charlotte!
send us some fan mail or any questions — email
mailbag@hardiegrant.com
There are lots of words in Billie B Brown The Grumpy Neighbour that we know how to read. We call these words high-frequency words because we see them all the time. First,
Trace these words!
Billie is lucky to live next door to her best friend, Jack. David and
TEACHER APPROVED ACTIVITY
trace the high-frequency words below.
and on as
to it at
is the of
Stella and Ivy are lucky to live right next to a park. They also live near Gertie, who turns out to be not so grumpy after all. Where do you live?
Draw your house. Can you write the names of everyone who lives in your house?
Now, we are going to go on a high-frequency word treasure hunt. Read chapter one of The Grumpy Neighbour. Every time you find one of the words listed below, put a tally mark next to it. Which word did you find the most?
Word
and to is on it the as at of
hbour’s My neiguse ho
Tally
My hou se
Do you have a neighbour?
The word I found the most was:
Draw their house. Can you write the names of your neighbours?
TEACHER APPROVED ACTIVITY
Oh no! Some of the letters have disappeared from these Billie B Brown
Gertie and Billie both like their gardens. Billie plants pumpkin, peas and parsnip in her garden. What vegetables would you like to plant in a vegetable garden? Draw your very own vegetable garden below. Label each vegetable that you would like to plant. When you write your label, listen really carefully to the sounds you hear in the word and write those sounds down.
TEACHER APPROVED
words! Fill in the missing beginning sound for each of these words. Can you read the words now that they have been fixed?
ACTIVITY
TEACHER APPROVED ACTIVITY
B
My Vegetable Patch!
all
illie
ox
ad
um
ean
leep
oft
eed
ost
ap
ike
an
alls
ry
M
S
L I planted these vegetables:
C
TEACHER APPROVED
‘This is the worst day ever!’ Billie shouts.
ACTIVITY
Then she bursts into tears.
First Billie lost her ball and then Noah pulled out all of her plants. Billie was having a bad day, but she didn’t let that keep her down! What can you do to make yourself feel better if you’re having a bad day? Write a list of five things that you can do to make yourself feel better if you’re feeling sad. Draw a picture to match.
Things that I can do to make myself feel better if I’m feeling sad:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Billie is planning to build a really cool cubby. Draw what you think it might look like.
Super-dooper colou ring in!
Billie and her friend Rebecca are watching a cool 3D movie.
Colour in Billie’s giant bowl of ice-cream. Yum!
Draw you and one of YOUR friends at the movies too!
Billie B Brown’s Guide to
r u o b h g i e N y p The Grum
! Z I U Q
Brightening tuhpe Neighbourhood!
How well do YOU know the Billie B Brown book,
The Grumpy Neighbour?
Billie B Brown has some great neighbours. In fact, her next-door neighbour, Jack, is her best friend! Sometimes, when it’s gloomy outside, Billie likes to add some colour to her neighbourhood. It helps brighten up everyone’s day!
Take this quiz to find out!
You might like to try this too. Here’s how. 1 In The Grumpy Neighbour, what does the B in Billie B Brown stand for? Circle the right answer! ball
butter
7 Who pulls the plants out of Billie’s vegetable patch?
bat
2 When Billie and Jack play soccer with Jack’s cousins, who is the goalkeeper? 3 Circle all of the words that are used to describe Grumpy Gertie. kind
short
polite
6 What does Billie’s dad have in the boot of his car?
mean
4 How many balls have Jack’s cousins lost over Grumpy Gertie’s fence? 5 Billie has a baby brother. What is his name?
1
8 What does Noah give Billie to say sorry? 9 Fill in the gap! To protect the plants, Billie’s dad builds a _____________ house. 10 Circle all of the vegetables that are not in this book. beans
pumpkin
parsnip
cabbage
peas
carrots
potatoes
3
autiful Draw the biggest, most be it in a rainbow you can and put from window that can be seen walk the street. When people smile. past, they will see it and
Do you have some chalk? Chalk is awesome because you can draw on the pavement with it and it washes off. It’s a temporary art exhibition! Ask your family if it’s OK to do some art on the pavement, then draw something there that makes you happy. Billie likes to draw rainbows and flowers. Sometimes she draws smiley faces, or writes nice messages in her best handwriting. Your artwork might just make somebody’s day!
2
Paint some rocks and leave them around the neighbourhood for people to find! You could even pop a little pile at your front gate with a sign saying FREE PET ROCKS TO MAKE YOU SMILE!
Answers 1. Ball (see page 2) 2. Ivy (see page 4) 3. Short (see page 12); mean (see page 17) 4. Three (see page 17) 5. Noah (see page 20) 6. A box of seedlings (see page 24) 7. Noah (see page 29) 8. His favourite teddy (see page 33) 9. Greenhouse (see page 35) 10. Beans, carrots, cabbage, potatoes (pumpkin, peas and parsnip are on page 29 and page 42)
o t e d i u G ’s n w o r Billie B B
5.
n a g n i w o r G e e r T o d a Avoc n sprout an a c u o y w o n k u Did yo your very own w ro g d n a it p avocado om it? avocado tree fr
6.
Ask a grown-up to help you cut open an
avocado, being careful not to cut the pit.
Carefully push three toothpicks firmly into the pit. Try to space them out evenly. They’re going to be the scaffolding for your pit!
Place the broad end of the avocado pit in the water, with the toothpicks resting on the edge of the jar. About one third of the pit should be in the water. Be sure to leave the top of the pit out of the water so your plant can grow.
(That’s the big seed in the middle.)
2. 3.
Eat the avocado – they’re
delicious! Billie likes hers on toast.
9.
4.
Fill a jar with water, almost to the brim.
8. Pop your jar in a warm, sunny spot. Billie’s kitchen windowsill is perfect for sprouting avocado pits!
Check on your pit regularly to make sure it has enough water. Your pit should start to sprout in two to six weeks. If you haven’t seen anything change in eight weeks, it’s probably not going to sprout. Don’t worry – just start again with another pit.
10.
Remove the pit.
Wash any remaining fruit off it. Be gentle – don’t remove any of the brown skin on the pit! Sometimes it helps to soak the pit in water for a few minutes first. Dry the pit.
This is the broad end!
7.
Here’s how!
1.
Work out which is the ‘broad’ end of the pit. Here’s a picture to help you. You might need a grown-up to help make sure you get the right end.
Once the stem grows to about 15cms, cut it back by half. When the roots have grown thick and the stem has leaves again, it’s planting time! Ask a grown-up for a pot and some soil and plant your avocado baby. Or you can plant it in the garden (but be sure to ask a grown-up first). Leave half the seed exposed above the soil. Make sure to water it! In time, you’ll have your very own avocado tree. Hurray!
How to Make
What to do:
! s k c o Pet R
1
Find some nice smooth rocks. Have a snoop in your garden, or look for some while you’re on a walk with your family.
Billie B Brown loves gardening almost as much as she loves painting. One day, Billie saw a rock in her garden that looked just like an apple — except for its colour. And then Billie had an idea … a
SUPER-DOOPER idea!
Can you guess what Billie’s idea was? RED. And she didn’t stop there! Soon Billie That’s right! She painted the rock RED was having fun painting all kinds of things on rocks. She even glued
googly
2 3
eyes onto some of them to make pet rocks. You can make some too!
What you will need:
• Rocks • Paint • Paintbrushes (thin ones are good for adding details to your rocks)
• Googly eyes (optional, but FUN)
• Craft glue • Wool (or cotton wool)
4
Wash the rocks and dry them. They need to be really dry or the paint won’t stick.
Ask your family if it’s OK to do some painting. Then work out where you’re going to do your painting, and cover that area with newspaper. This is REALLY important. Billie once forgot this step and accidentally painted the kitchen table green. Her mum and dad were NOT pleased! Have a good think about what you are going to make. Billie once made a handful of rocks look like a school of fish! And another time she made all sorts of bugs to put around the garden. Ladybirds are her favourite bugs to paint. Sometimes she just likes to do patterns or flowers. Sometimes she paints silly faces. You can paint anything you like!
5
Get out your paint and paintbrushes and paint away! If you’re using different colours on the one rock, Billie suggests you wait for the first one to dry before you add the next one.
6
When the paint is dry, you can glue on optional things like wool or cotton wool (for hair) and googly eyes.
Send pics of your creations to
mailbag@hardiegrant.com
We will feature some in the next edition!
o t e d i u G s ’ n w o r B B e i l l i B
! s r e t t e L Writing EVERYONE LIKES GETTING LETTERS, and they’re fun to write, too! Billie has a lovely collection of sparkly pens that she likes to write letters with, but any pen or pencil will do. She and her best friend, Jack, sometimes post letters to each other through the fence between their houses. Other times, Billie leaves drawings and secret notes in the letterboxes in her street just to make people feel happy.
write a superIf you would like to letter, here are er op pr d an al re er doop
BILLIE’S TOP TIPS!
TOP TIP #1
Put your name, address and date in the top right corner, just like this:
TOP TIP #3
are. If you ask lots of ey th w ho em th k as to ce ni be Then it can d will write back! It’s a good ien fr ur yo re su be n ca u yo , questions re about them, too. ca u yo ow sh to d an le, op pe way to get to know Something like this: sh that comic you were ni fi u yo d Di g? in go How are you making?
TOP TIP #4
Then tell them something about how you are. A funny story or some news is always fun to read. Here is something Billie once wrote to Jack: I am good. Mum is very busy with her work so Dad and I planted a vegi vejd vegetable garden yesterday. I put in carrots because I know they are your favrit favourite, and sunflowers for me! We
also collected some stones to make pet rocks. I’ll make one for you, if you like? Oh, and you know what else is exciting? My brother Noah said his first word yesterday and guess what it was? Beebee! That’s me!
That’s how he says my name. Cute, huh?
5 TOP TIP #
about how Then you might like to finish off with something this: special your friend is to you. Perhaps something like can bild build that I miss you lots. I can’t wait until we for you to build it Lego spaceship together. I am waiting t friend. with me because you are my very bes
Billie B Brown
21 Willow Avenue
Bluebell Hills, 4026 Australia
April 6, 2020 TOP TIP #2
Then write the person’s name on the left side of the letter. Most people say ‘Dear someoneor-other’. Or you can just say ‘Hi!’ if you prefer. Like this: Dear Jack,
TOP TIP #6
Then it’s time to sign off: Please write back soon. Lots of love, Billie (B Brown - but I think you knew that already! Hee! Hee!)
Don’t worry if you mess up the spelling or if you need to cross things out. Everybody loves to receive letters. And if you want to include a drawing, that will make your letter even more special. HAPPY WRITING!
, E S U E R , E C U D RE RECYCLE! You will need:
Here’s a fun activity you can do using things from around the home! Did you know you can use an old egg carton to grow vegetables? Maybe you can grow pumpkin, peas and parsnips just like Billie. Here’s how to do it.
And here’s how to do it: So cosy!
Used egg car ton (no eggs required).
Gloves.
1
Add soil.
2
Find a nice spot.
6
Add potting mix to each pot in the egg carton. Fill each pot to about 1cm below the top.
Vegetable se eds.
Find your seeds a home in a nice bright place, being careful to avoid direct sunlight. Windowsills, balconies or porches make lovely homes for young plants.
(soil).
3
Take care.
7
Plant two or three seeds per container a nd cover them with another 1cm of soil.
Tuck them in.
With your gloves on, gently press down on the top of the soil to help settle the seeds in.
4
Add water.
Add a few teaspoons of water to the soil, until the top layer looks nice and moist.
Teaspoon.
5
Potting mi x
Plant seeds.
W ater.
Check your seeds each morning, plus each night before bed. If the top layer looks a bit dry, add a few more teaspoons of water. The soil should be moist, but not wet.
Grow on!
You should see green shoots within a week. When they’re big enough, plant your seedlings directly into the ground or a bigger pot, egg carton and all!
roots
The will grow through the egg car ton and the cardboard will turn into compost !
This activity is from a book called Your Planet Needs You! by Philip Bunting. It’s all about walloping waste and reducing rubbish, and it’s available in May! Click HERE for more.
p e e k u Do yo
Next week!
? Y R A A DI Billie B Brown does!
Sometimes it’s fun to look back and see how much you have grown up!
This week, my favourite book was
by I loved it because
. .
The song that was stuck in my head was
.
The best thing I ate was
.
is a
The Honey Bees rown
eBB BRAND NEW Billi
ad it yet? book! Have you re
otect the planet. Billie wants to pr oper important, do rpe su e ar es She knows be ive at school! eh be a d il bu to g so she’s goin st friend, Jack, But why is her be plan? so upset about her
Quizzes
Interviews The best thing that happened this week was
Next week I want to try
Sally gets a beehive! .
.
And much more!
Y R E V E u o y e r Se o f Y A D N led, MO
l i f n u f r e h t ano ed k c a p n o i t c a ! m a r g o r p y a d holi
You might have some of these Billie B Brown books in your bookcase, or they might be available as an
Launch timetable
ebook to borrow from your local library! Billie B Brown books can be found where all good books are sold. While it’s a bit tricky to get to the shops at the moment, we recommend checking if your local bookstore is doing delivery, or look up any of the fabulous Australian retailers who sell books online.
THE HONEY BEES Launching Monday 13 April
We are going to profile a different bookseller every week! CHECK OUT
THE HAT PARADE Launching Monday 20 April THE SPOTTY HOLIDAY Launching Monday 27 April
Booktopia is an excellent Australian-owned online bookstore. Its staff champion Australian authors and illustrators, and are
FEAST T H G I N D I M THE 4 May y a d n o M g in h aunc
proud to sell Billie B Brown books.
L
‘The Billie series is one of my go-to recommendations for young readers. These books are so fun and joyful, and each story has a great message for kids!’
Sarah
, Kids and YA Category Manager
THE SOCCER STAR Launching Monday 11 May
CLICK HERE! www.booktopia.com.au
Contact us! While we can’t meet up at a wonderful book event right now, we welcome you to the Sally Rippin Holiday Program community. Let’s keep in touch. Email us! Do you have questions? Suggestions? Maybe you just want to send us a picture of a butterfly! We will be checking our mail, and Sally will be answering a selection of questions every week! mailbag@hardiegrant.com.au
EMAIL US